Bonifacio Monument’s big day

The city of Caloocan today, on the country’s 105th Independence Day, celebrates the formal unveiling of the venerable Bonifacio Monument as a national historical site, City Mayor Reynaldo Malonzo announced yesterday.

It has been almost a year after the National Historical Institute (NHI) passed a resolution last August 2002 officially declaring the 45-foot Bonifacio Obelisk in Monumento, Caloocan City, a national landmark. The formal installation of a marker will be held during this day’s independence program.

With the theme dubbed "Sa Matatag na Republika, Bayan Ko, Sagot Ko!," Malonzo leads city officials, employees and guests led by DILG Secretary Jose Lina and noted local historian Ambeth Ocampo in today’s rites.

It will be recalled that Malonzo early last year had considered moving the 74-year-old monument to remote Tala to give way to the now stalled construction of Phase 2 of the Metro Railway Transit (MRT) line in EDSA extending up to Malabon-Navotas.

In the controversy, Malonzo pointed out, to the consternation of heritage conservationists, that the relocation of the landmark can be done because the imposing monument has never been declared a national historical site by the NHI and in fact ignored its historical value when the NHI excluded it from its official publication "Historical Markers — Metropolitan Manila." Malonzo only acceded after the NHI declared the pre-war (1929) masterpiece of national artist Guillermo Tolentino, more popularly known for the oblation at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, as one in August last year.

"Any plans to touch the monument would be unlawful," said Ocampo, NHI chairman. Ocampo came out with Resolution 9-2002 declaring the monument a historical site. The resolution was also signed by Serafin Quiasor, Heidi Gloria, both of NHI, National Museum director Corazon Alvina and National Library director Prudencia Cruz. – Jerry Botial, Pete Laude